Dr. John Pierce Agreed to Pay $18,000 for Allegedly Violating the Civil Monetary Penalties Law by Falsely Certifying to His Eligibility to Receive CARES Act Provider Relief Funds

On January 14, 2022, John Pierce, MD, San Francisco, California, entered into a $18,846.61 settlement agreement with OIG.  The settlement agreement resolves allegations that Dr. Pierce knowingly made, used, or caused to be made a false statement in a document that is required to be submitted in order to directly or indirectly receive or retain funds provided in whole or in part by the Secretary of HHS. Specifically, the OIG contends that on April 10, 2020, Dr. Pierce received a Provider Relief Fund payment pursuant to the CARES Act. On April 16, 2020, Dr. Pierce attested in the HHS Provider Relief Fund Portal that he was eligible to receive this payment because, among other things, he provides or provided after January 31, 2020, diagnoses, testing, or care for individuals with possible or actual cases of COVID-19.  However, Dr. Pierce did not provide diagnoses, testing, or care for any individuals after January 31, 2020. Senior Counsel Michael Torrisi, assisted by Chief Investigator Amber Mahmood and Program Analyst Mariel Filtz, represented OIG.

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